Hoodoo
by themusemadbex
Summary: MUSE AU/BELLDOM: Plans for completing 'The Resistance' are delayed as something paranormal comes looming from the shadows. Now Matt and Dom must battle for their lives to overcome the threats that a past mistake throws into their paths. Originally 'Behind A Broken Frame'. Chapter Updates In Progress.
1. Golden Lies

**Chapter 1**

**Golden Lies**

We hadn't been in Italy long and we were all determined to finish working on the new album. We had been mixing the very last songs to conclude the Exogenesis Symphony tracks, and Chris and Dom were pleased with what we had so far too. We had planned tomorrow to finish off the last track and then we would decide on a release date.

I had doubts though as I cast a glance in Dom's direction; He was slumped in front of his transparent, tidy looking drum kit, rubbing his eyes in frustration and sneaking a yawn. Dark rings circled his dull looking eyes and an ill expression masked his usually soft, rosy cheeks. I let out a sympathetic sigh as my eyes darted to where Chris was fiddling with the bass setup. He nodded at me slightly, furrowing his eyebrows into a frown. _My turn_,I concluded as I rose from my chair at the computer and paced past my guitar rack to where Dom was sitting, resting his forehead on both palms. I offered him a hand and gestured to the other room as he placed his palm into mine.

"Come on." I encouraged softly, turning away from the drums and trailing him behind me, kicking the door shut with my foot.

I threw myself onto the navy blue couch where Dom was now sitting and turned my body to face him. "Dom..." I began, gazing at him with a worried expression. "What's going on?" He shrugged his shoulders at me, tears welling in his eyes. Since we'd returned from London, Chris and I had watched Dom become weak and tired; He'd insist that he was fine and work would carry on as normal, but that hadn't stopped the both of us fretting over him; he was clearly exhausted, and today he looked even worse; His usually golden, healthy complexion was a sickly pale colour and his dazzling smile had been vacant over the past few weeks. It was obvious that something was upsetting him and it broke my heart to see him like this.

"Why don't you see a doctor?" I persuaded. He shook his head, sobbing quietly, tears now rolling down his face. "I'm fine, really! I'm just... tired" I could feel my own emotions taking over as I studied him, I don't think I'd ever seen him this upset before. "Oh, Dom." I gulped, leaning forward to hug him as the lump in my throat finally defeated me.

As my body came into close contact with his, I gasped under my breath in shock; It wasn't only his bony figure that had surprised me, but what I could see coming. I hadn't given it much thought before, but I realised now that I'd made a _big_ mistake; I had created a disaster; A disaster, worthy of death. I pulled myself away from him quickly, my heart beating faster and my legs wobbly beneath me. "I'm sorry" I stuttered quickly, standing up and turning to leave the room, slamming the door behind me. "Chris? Get Dom some water." I demanded, forgetting my usual polite manner and failing to stop as I rushed past. Sniffing back tears, I grabbed my notepad and my Blackberry from my desk and darted into the toilets, almost breathless.

I flicked to the back of my notepad, underneath a line of symbols, I read the words: '_**Somebody close to you, you will lose.'**_It was a sentence I had translated from my last Ouija board session. I had been letter marker for my mother as a young boy and I could translate simple sentences; I just needed to prove that I had understood it correctly, so I entered the pass code into my Blackberry and selected the internet for a translating site. I waited impatiently, tapping my fingers on the side of the sink as I stood there alone in the blue and white themed room. "Ohhh God!" My hand-held technology had confirmed my worst fear. I slid against the wall and sat on the floor to gather my thoughts, unable to make the links for a few seconds. "Dom, I can't lose you." I sobbed to myself, overcome with anxiety.

The door was forced into the tiles as Chris entered the toilets, slamming it against the wall in panic. He had an apprehensive look on his face. "Matt!" It was obvious that something was wrong. "Matt!'' He called again, unsatisfied with the silence. "Yeah?" I sniffed, clearing my throat and standing up before he could reach me. "It's Dom, he's not right..." I took a deep breath and followed behind Chris to where I had left Dom a few minutes before. I tried to stay calm but I could feel tears welling in my eyes again as I fumbled for a pulse on his neck. "What happened?" I scowled, tension rising in my voice. "He just blacked out on me." Chris replied innocently. "Well, we have to get him home."

"No way! - I'm calling an ambulance!" Chris protested, shooting me an angry look. "No!" I snapped back at him, soon realising that it had come out more exaggerated than I had first intended. "Sorry... Look, I'll explain later. Just... help me will you?" Chris nodded, staring at me suspiciously, but I ignored his distrust and carried on. "We'll take him to my place."

The drive back from the studio wasn't far and Chris and I had soon gotten Dom resting on my bed. He hadn't woken though and I was starting to debate whether we should have enlisted the help of a professional medic. "He _is_ breathing, right?" Chris asked leaning forward from the chair he had pulled up to sit next to the bed. I nodded silently and handed him my notepad, still open at the last page. Chris would be able to work out, along with the symbols, what it was.

"Are you serious?" He turned to face me, raising his eyebrows as if he didn't believe what I had just shown him. "Don't judge me." I mumbled defensively, avoiding eye contact with him. The room fell silent as we sat there, both of us lost for words. I was surprised that Chris hadn't taken a more exaggerated approach to the situation; if I had been him, I wouldn't have reacted well, then again; who would?


	2. Where Our Worlds Collide

**Chapter 2**

**Where Our Worlds Collide**

The next day was agony for me; I had slept on the couch that night and had woken to a still semi-conscious Dom. I studied his motionless body, unable to make sense of how exactly we'd gotten into this mess. To me, it seemed as if his worry was draining the life out of him; almost like a battery. I stroked the golden strands of hair out of his face, noticing how much worse he looked today; his complexion was almost grey and he was shivering as I took my hand away. I pulled up the blanket from the end of the bed, alarmed as his eyes began moving underneath his lids. _Was he dreaming?_

"Dom?" I uttered. "Can you hear me?" I knelt beside the bed, shaking my head at the silence and leaned over him, tucking the blanket close to his sides and sitting back up again to take hold of his hand. "You're freezing." I whispered, rubbing his palm in an attempt to circulate the blood.

_More blankets, _I thought, standing up to make my way to the cupboard just down the hall. I stopped briefly in the doorway, just to check he was still sleeping; He looked peaceful again as I turned away, in a hurry to satisfy his needs.

When I returned, a white blanket slung over one arm; I noticed something unfamiliar looming at the far end of the room. My mouth fell open as I observed it; it was almost like a human shadow, but darker and distorted. I closed my eyes for a second and told myself that I was imagining things and upon opening my eyes again, the shape had disappeared. Nothing. It wasn't just 'nothing' though, as I would find out when I saw it again later that day...

It was the afternoon and I was awoken suddenly as three hollow knocks sounded at the front door. I had fallen asleep next to Dom's side in my chair. My reading book 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' by George Orwell, still open at page 192, rested on my lap, forming a triangular tunnel, the dull front cover staring me in the face. I stood up, placing it on the bedside table and mentally studied Dom before shuffling down the marble floored hall and passing through the living room to welcome Chris through the door.

"How is he?" He asked, bending down to untie his black, white laced All Stars. "Same." I replied simply, shaking my head and gesturing towards the bedroom. As Chris walked in front of me, I observed a fresh lump of bird faeces running in a multicoloured dribble down his jacket. "Chris, you know you've got-" I trailed off as he entered the doorway; There it was again, clearer this time, and Chris seemed oblivious it. "What?" He quizzed, turning around to face me. "Um...Bird shite on the back of your jacket." I finished. "Aw! I've only just bought that!" He shrugged it off and hooked the jacket onto his finger, walking past me and heading for the bathroom.

The shadow wasn't there any longer but Dom was shivering again. I furrowed my eyebrows, biting my lip as I inched closer to him and tucked him in once more. "I'm not leaving you tonight." I whispered quietly as Chris' head popped around the door frame. "Matt, I've got to go mate - just had an urgent call. Sorry. I'll come back tomorrow." "Ok." I replied, nodding my head. "It's late anyway." He waved a short goodbye and shot me a smile before heading back down the hall and I waited until I heard the front door close and his car on the gravel drive way.

Watching the lights of his Shelby GT500 fade though the window, I grabbed a blanket and laid next to Dom on top of the covers, wrapping myself in the rough material and turning out the lights. I closed my eyes and placed my palm on top of Dom's right hand; it had become clear that I really _was_ scared to leave him. _I'll just skip dinner tonight, _I thought to myself, settling down for a sleepless couple of hours.


	3. Watch This Space

**Chapter 3**

**Watch This Space**

"_Dom?" I awoke suddenly as I felt someone grasp my wrists. "Dom... What are you doing?" There was silence as his grasp slowly tightened. "Dom, seriously... Get off!" It was pitch black and I couldn't make out many objects in the room, I couldn't even make out the shape of the curtains; that was rather unusual. Wait... What had happened to the floodlight? _

_I began to panic as reality crept its way into my conscience and realised that Dom was too ill to even be up, let alone wake me, and I held my breath as I felt the grasp around my wrists tighten once more; whoever it was who was trying to hurt me had ten times the strength than I had; I was in trouble. As my eyes began to adjust, it was evident that I was shaking. I could just make out a dark figure, his knees either side of my body; his face seemed blurry and he was awfully close to touching my forehead with his. Struggling to move my hands under his grip, I could feel my heart in my chest, the beats growing inconsistent every time I took another breath. I was desperately searching for a way to defend myself but found that I was at an advantage as he reached out, sinking a hand onto my neck to obstruct my airway. _

_Despite having my right hand free, I was too shaken to react for a minute; the world had gone into slow motion. "DOOOM!" I used the breath that I had left in my body in the hope of waking him, but my opponent pressed harder in an attempt to stop me shrieking. Finally, I found the courage to fight back and I began striking at his side with my free hand. In response, I was forced completely breathless, gagging and rasping for air like a fish out of water. I tried to pull his hand away but my feeble attempt failed; I had to think of something else._

_Chocking me had proved successful; the more he attacked at my throat, the weaker I became, I needed a new idea; I made a pass at his chest with my knee but he was quick to react, blocking me with his arm. My other hand was freed in the process; He hadn't thought that one through though. Making a grab for his shoulders, I shoved him backwards, my energy returning as the oxygen reached my lungs. I cried for Dom again as the figure retaliated and I froze as someone new brushed against my arm. It was a soft, gentle touch - definitely not my opponent. No... It couldn't be Dom - could it? _

_Struggling beneath the figure, I finally freed myself and threw him hard onto the marble floor. He landed almost soundlessly but showed no sign of returning to the bed side to get his revenge. I sat up and turned to my left; Dom was lying awake trying to attract my attention. I reached out for his hand, beaming at the fact that he was finally awake after all this time but hesitated in confusion as I came close; I couldn't feel any contact between us; he didn't seem to exist. _

I opened my eyes in shock, unable to work out what had happened; I was sitting up in bed, pawing at thin air, my clothes were sticking to my body and my hands were clammy. I checked the floor for the figure who had attacked me, only just able to give it the all clear from the help of the floodlight outside, illuminating small areas of surface beneath the window. _Had this all been a dream?_ I turned my attention to Dom now, he was still sleeping at my side; it saddened me to see that he hadn't woken; my dream had given me a sense of false hope. I studied him carefully; his golden hair was messy and his complexion remained a sickly pale colour, he was still clearly ill and no closer to recovering than he had been the day before. I decided to get up and jump into the shower, after all, I wasn't going to be getting back to sleep any time soon; I'd had a rough night so far.

I threw back the blanket that I had wrapped myself in just a few hours before and swung my feet off of the bed, hauling my body out of its comfort zone. As I stood up, the humidity of the night hit me; I hadn't realised it was so warm. I stumbled over to Dom's side of the bed and felt his forehead with the back of my hand; he was clearly suffering from the heat too. I gently pulled back the covers and replaced them with a thinner throw that was neatly folded at the end of the bed; then paced towards the bathroom, flicking the switch on the wall to power up the fan and grabbing my towels as I went.

I swung the door shut on my arrival, dumping my towels untidily over the floor and pulling at the brushed metal object dangling on the light switch. I stood there for a moment, dully observing the tiles until my eyes fell on my reflection in the mirror; I had red marks over my neck and my wrists bore the same marks too. I furrowed my eyebrows, raising one hand up to my throat as if to imitate how I'd been strangled in my dream; it was an incredibly similar resemblance but I quickly rejected the illusion that I had created of how exactly they had got there; Had someone really intended to squeeze the life out of me, I was sure they'd have found a better way of going about it.

I shook my head and began peeling off my clothes, realising for the first time since I'd been up that night, that I was still in my jeans and my favourite top. _Of course! _I ran through the events of the days before; Dom falling ill at the studio, Chris coming to visit, skipping dinner and the mysterious, distorted shadows looming in the bedroom every time I returned. This was starting to make sense; little sense at that, but... sense; the links were beginning to create part of a jigsaw; I knew for sure that the shadow in my dream was the same shadow in the bedroom... _But why? _I left my thoughts to add up themselves as I slid the glass of the shower across and turned up the heat; There were lots of pieces to my jigsaw that had not yet been found and I couldn't rush the process if I didn't know where to look; I'd have to wait for time to unlock the clues itself. After all, I was no detective.


	4. Don't Give Up The Fight

**Chapter 4**

**Don't Give Up The Fight**

I returned from the bathroom a little while later in a pair of grey jogging bottoms and a baggy white top; it was around two o'clock in the morning and it was still dark outside, so I had planned to go back to bed and try to get some rest. I slung my wet towels over the top corner of the bedroom door before pacing over to the window and forcing it as wide open as possible; the room felt terribly stuffy and the humidity was already making me feel sticky. I stood there for a while, observing the still water of Lake Como shimmering beneath the moonlight; everything seemed more peaceful at night; it was bustling with tourists throughout the day time and I had often thought of selling up. I shook my head as I realised I had let myself run away with my thoughts, failing to notice for a minute that Dom had started to stir behind me.

"Dom? Are you awake?" I spoke to him softly, uncertain whether I would receive a reply. "Yeah" he whispered, a weak voice masking his usually cheery tone. My face lit up in delight as I took hold of his hand and stroked his hair away from his forehead. "Dom... Open your eyes?" I asked, trying not to alarm him. In the back of my conscience I needed a sign to determine that this was real; if it somehow turned out to be another dream, I didn't know if I could take the disappointment all over again.

I breathed a sigh of relief as he looked up at me, although the usual bright spark in his eyes had not yet returned, I was happy to believe that I had him back. "Oh I've missed those eyes Dom." I told him under my breath. "I've missed them so much." He shot me a tired looking smile as our eyes met. "How are you feeling?" I asked, reaching a hand up to his forehead. "Drained more than anything." He managed through a croaky voice. "Little bit chilly too." He added.

I raised my eyebrows at his reply; "It's baking Dom... We're in the middle of heatwa-" I trailed off as I heard a shuffling noise from the far corner of the room; the floodlight from outside wasn't enough to shed light on it, restricting my view, so I rose from my bent over position and fumbled for the light switch on the wall, illuminating the room in an orangy-yellow tint. I shielded my eyes for a minute whilst they adjusted and then took my hand away, revealing the dark human-like shadow that stood before me. This time it stared me right in the face and I stood frozen to the spot, in awe of its blurry features; its eyes were the only things that stood out; they were icy blue silhouettes that seemed to posses the power to burn holes into any object that stood before them. I wouldn't have said that the creature was any taller than myself, but even so, its presence knotted loops of nerves in my stomach.

I took a small step backwards, realising that Dom was possibly in as much trouble as I was. "Dom... Don't move." I warned, unable to take my eyes off of the creature for security's sake. "Matt? What is it?" Dom's response seemed to trigger an insecure emotion in the creature; it appeared angrier and more irritated than it had before and began moving towards me faster than I had first realised. I made a dash for freedom into the hallway, but it was too late; It had me by the shoulders.

I span round to defend myself but realised that I was utterly helpless as I seemed unable to make proper contact with it. I seemed like something of a fairytale; the creature could touch me, it could harm me, but I couldn't fight back. As I locked eyes with it, I considered my options. By now my heart was racing and my breathing had become heavy. I was screaming inside. I cast a quick glance in Dom's direction; he was propped up on both arms, his face as white as a sheet. _ GO! _He mouthed urgently. _RUN!_

I turned to flee but I was halted before I could reach the door, receiving a forceful blow to my stomach, winding me enough to prevent me from escaping. I bent over coughing violently and clutching at the pain.

"MATT!" Dom's shriek made this all feel real, it reminded me of how I'd gotten us both into this situation, even though I hadn't quite began to understand it yet myself. I caught him in the corner of my eye, throwing back the covers in panic mode. "NO DOM!" I struggled in between spluttering. "Stay there!" I raised one hand as if to create a boundary between me and the other side of the room, relieved when he ventured no further.

Before I could get my breath back, the creature hit me in the stomach once more, sending me to my knees this time, one hand still clutching at my stomach, one fist striking at the hard marble beneath me. I could feel its energy as it stood over me; staring pitilessly at my sore, bruised body as I began to heave. A silent tear rolled down my cheek and I felt the creature's hand on my head. It took a fistful of my dark hair, pulling my head back abruptly. I winced at the pain as I locked eyes with it again, comparing the sensation to the whiplash I had sustained back in 2002 in my rush for home, driving my Lotus Elise.

Realising now that my limbs felt like jelly, I began to give up, going limp in my body; I was totally exhausted. I closed my eyes for a minute, trying to reassure myself that if I didn't resist to the creature's abuse, everything would be ok, but as I did so, the creature tightened its grip, sending a shiver down my spine. I struggled to breathe as it took a final shot, targeting for third time, my stomach. I didn't open my eyes this time, but fell flat onto my face as it let go of my hair, banging my head on the hard floor, and heaving once more. I curled myself up as I felt the blood rush to my head, and opening my eyes again, it was gone. Silence.

The next thing I knew, Dom was at my side, cradling my shaking body in his arms. "Matthew..." He sobbed. "Matt! Answer me..." Dom's voice was more than a comfort to me at this moment but the sick feeling inside was enough of an excuse to remain quiet; I managed a groan as I looked up briefly; My eyes followed Dom's hand which was pulling away from the side of my head; it was stained with blood. I heard him gasp and felt him grab both of my arms, hauling me up off of the floor and almost dragging me as he helped me onto my feet and over to the bed. I had black dots in front of my eyes as I sat down and just as the effort to sit up became too much, I blacked out.


	5. Hysteria

**Chapter 4**

**Hysteria**

I was light-headed as I opened my eyes and peered around the room in blurred vision. My head was throbbing and my body felt limp, but I knew I was in safe hands; I could just make out a tall, skinny figure with messy blonde hair sitting to my left, the street lamp from outside casting his shadow over my face; His voice soothed me as I laid there, still fuzzy and struggling to come round properly. "Matthew?" I gazed up at him as his words echoed in my ears; he sounded both relieved and worried at the same time. "I thought I'd lost you." He breathed quietly, tears welling in his eyes. "We talked about running you into A&E." He began. "But we decided not to... Chris will be back in a minute, he's just cleaning himself up – Did a good job." He finished, gesturing at the bowl of blood stained water and cotton wool standing on the bed side table.

Dom glanced up as Chris' steps sounded on the marble floor and smiled at him as he walked in. "He's back, is he?" Chris asked, squeezing Dom's shoulders in compassion as he snatched a torch-like light form the table and leaned in closer to talk to me. "How are you feeling?" He asked, gently using his thumb to keep my eyelids open and shining the little white object into each of my eyes. "Sick... My head hurts." I replied simply. He sighed as he returned the object onto the table. "Can you tell me where you are?" I paused before answering. "Uh, home... Lake Como." It seemed like such an obvious question.

"Chris, is this really necessary?" Dom interrupted him before he could ask me another question. "Head injuries can be serious." Chris replied argumentatively. "And you're a _trained_ first aider; I just think it's a bit much, that's all." Dom bit his lip as his eyes darted back at me; I hadn't realised at first how rough he looked. "It's just a precaution Dom. We don't want him to deteriorate." I watched as a panicked expression crossed the drummer's face. "Deteriorate?" He challenged, raising his eyebrows. "It can happen – All it takes is concussion that's not dealt with properly..." Chris trailed off, not wanting to worry Dom any more than he needed too. "Why don't you go and lie down? Don't make yourself ill over this." He finished. Dom shook his head unwillingly. "No, I need to be here."

Turning back to face me, Chris continued from where he'd left off. "Can you tell me what the date is?" He requested. My mind went blank for a moment and I became frustrated as I struggled to retrieve the information I had been asked for. 'Umm, err, 2009.' I said unsurely, and then shook my head as I failed to remember the rest. Chris rubbed his eyes and then turned to Dom, nodding his head slightly. "Definitely concussed." He confirmed. "Don't let him sleep for at least a couple of hours - and we need to monitor his condition." He spoke matter-of-factly as he explained the situation. "And Matt, if your headache gets any worse or you feel any new symptoms; we need to know." He smiled down at me, then removed the bowl and cotton wool off of the side of the table and walked back down the hallway. My eyes followed him as his footsteps faded.

"How are you _really_ feeling?" Dom demanded flatly as soon as Chris was out of earshot. He knew I wasn't one to make fuss; I never had been. "Awful!" I moaned, trying to stretch my neck but tensing sharply as I felt the pain kick in. Dom pursed his lips as he watched me suffer. "Please don't go to sleep, will you? Not even if you feel like it?"

"No." I whispered. "You know, I could sort that neck out for you?" He mused, brightening up a bit. "Dom, you look awful." I told him, trying not to cause any offence. "You really should get some rest; Please don't make yourself ill over looking after me. Chris is right, Y'know?" Dom sighed at my response; he had always been stubborn. I understood his concern for me but he was the one who had needed looking after just a few hours ago. I studied him closely as a silence fell between us; His eyes were still the same - no spark, just dull and sultry and the same black circles branded them like sunglasses. I was suddenly drawn to the sun rise that sat behind him out of the window; the water of Lake Como shimmered gold beneath the glow; it made his face appear even paler. "I'm not going to rest whilst I can be here with you." He said shyly, then picked himself up off of the chair at my side and paced out of the room.

When he returned, his was carrying a glass of water and some oils. "Chris told me that you should try to drink something." He explained as he set the oils down and handed me the water. I sat up slowly as I received it from him, almost winding myself as I disturbed the pain in my stomach muscles; My head was all over the place and it was only now that I realised how dizzy I was. "Woa!" Dom reacted quickly and took the glass from me before I spilt it all over the duvet. "Probably a good idea to sit you up first." He remarked, placing the glass with the oils and propping a pillow up behind my back.

I squinted at the light from the now rising sun as it stung my eyes, casting more shadows into the room; Dom responded, pulling the curtain across to block it out before handing me back the glass. "Matt, you're still shaking." A concerned tone crept into his voice as he observed my hands. Chris had heard as he passed the bedroom and stopped briefly in the doorway. "Shock." He reassured, although his words weren't at all encouraging. "Why don't you find something to calm it down?" He continued, gesturing with his hand at the oils on the table. "Would that work? I was going to use it to relax his neck muscles." _So that's what Dom meant by 'sorting it out' _I thought to myself_. _"You can only try." Chris gambled. "Oh, and I'm making breakfast."He finished, before heading back through to the lounge.

"You can't argue with me now." Dom said playfully, a smug grin stretching across his face. He took the water from me when I had finished and began to open the little bottle of oils on the bed side table. "I found some already made up." He said "I don't think you've got another carrier oil around here anyway." I watched as he unscrewed the cap and held the bottle under his nose, breathing in the sweet almond scent. "You're a massage therapy expert now as well?" I joked fragilely. He laughed as he looked up. "Believe it or not, this linked in with that GCSE P.E stuff I studied when we were at school." He paused and an uncertain expression replaced his gleaming smile. "You're going to have to turn over." He said awkwardly, remembering my weakened physical state. I nodded and squirmed uncomfortably into an adequate position; every muscle in my body screaming as I stirred.

"Chris knows what happened..." He muttered. "I didn't just tell him some corrupt, twisted lie." Dom seemed reluctant to tell me this; he had always been one to choose his moments, but the tone in his voice marked one of his worst selections. "How is he so cool with it?" He continued. "He's a rational sort of guy." I murmured dishonestly, unable to tell Dom the truth; we were both hiding something from him and it felt awful, but it was the right thing to do; after all, now wasn't the time to tell him such a destructive secret. I closed my eyes as the scent of the oils reached me and breathed them in deeply, relaxing for a minute until I felt Dom's icy hands on my shoulders. As he applied pressure, sharp pains advanced like daggers up the back of my neck; I tried my hardest to lay still but as he moved further, I gave in, complaining and dragging myself to face him, using my hands to halt his. "Dom, please stop." I begged. "You're hurting me."

He stood up and bent over me, his hands gently clasping both of my wrists as I shifted slightly to lie on my back again. "I'm sorry." His whisper sent a shiver down my spine and his tired-looking eyes locked with mine; it was a contact he didn't lose as he leaned even closer – perhaps too close - but I daren't push him away. Next, I began to panic as he closed his eyes, pressing his lips to mine with a passionate energy; I was confused... _Was I meant to kiss him back? _Dom and I were good friends - more than friends, but we weren't anything that this was suggesting. _Did he think differently?_

I steadied myself, trying not to give him the wrong idea as he pulled away. "Dom, I don't underst-" He cut me off, hushing me with a finger on my lips. "It'll hurt at first." He whispered slowly. "But trust me." His words repeated themselves one after another in my head; _'trust'_ almost hissed at me every time I remembered it. He encouraged me back onto my stomach again and I unconsciously obeyed in my bewilderment as he continued massaging. This time I gritted my teeth as the pain started up again, but he was right; it did begin to ease, and as soon as I knew it, he was relieving the intensity I had built up with the stress of the last few days.

"Matt?" He suddenly sounded alarmed and I grunted quickly in reply. "You're not sleeping, are you?" He asked. "No." I answered. "You've settled..."He told me, his tone sinking back to normal. "Has it stopped?" I nodded into the pillow, sighing deeply as I tried to make sense of what had just happened in my head.

Soon, a voice came from the doorway; it was Chris. "Dom, I've put you some breakfast on the table, shall we switch over and I'll sit with him for a while?" I felt Dom's soothing hands leave my body and I listened as Chris took his place on the chair beside me. "Just you and me for a while mate." He announced as I turned over to acknowledge him; I was slightly relieved that I had some time to think whilst Dom was away, but as Chris spoke again, his voice changed and took on a more serious tone. "It's time for a chat..."

This wasn't going to be plain sailing...


	6. Map Of Your Head

**Chapter 6**

**Map Of Year Head**

"Dom told me what happened; I don't understand why you're the one who is worse off!" Chris didn't sound angry but he didn't sound happy either...

'_Rational sort of guy'; _I was beginning to realise how much of a lie that really was. "Look, Matt." He continued with a sigh. "I'm here to help you; Both of you, but you have to help me out too. Try... Just try, to think back to that night." He pleaded, looking me in the eye for the first time. "What were you trying to achieve? What was on your mind? Who were you with when you sat around that Ouija board?" His questions were demanding but he wasn't the only one who wanted to sort out this mess; Yes, I had started all of this and yes, with the Ouija board, but I didn't understand where it had all come from any more than he did.

I bit my lip and closed my eyes tightly as I ran over that night back in a chilly January in London. I remembered gathering friends but _who _was really there? I turned to Chris who was in deep thought; January seemed so long ago. "Dom... He was there! And his girlfriend!" I exclaimed. _ That same girlfriend he had split up with all too soon_. _What was her name again? Rebecca?..._ Chris gazed up quickly, a star-struck expression on his face. "Then it's got to be Dom." He concluded darkly. "He split with Rebecca that very next day, didn't he?" I nodded quietly as he talked. _He never did tell us why..._ "If no one else was there, no one else should be involved, right?"

I shook my head as I continued to think. January had been a particularly hard month; Dom wasn't happy being with Rebecca and I could see it. I was the only one who knew; I'd hardly see him and we had drifted apart because of it. That night had been the last straw for him; I had invited him to sit around the board with me and Rebecca clearly didn't like the idea – She had always been very controlling. "Did Dom ever tell you why he split with her?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. "No, he didn't." Chris replied.

"What's it like?" He changed the subject slightly, inquisitive about my contact with the being from the other dimension. "My size..." I began. "Unbelievably strong though... Piercing blue eyes." I stopped as Chris' expression changed; He was opened mouthed, his eyes focusing on my face. He raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "Matt, don't you think it has a likeness to yourself?" My face dropped at his assumption. "You're small, yet surprisingly strong for you size... You have blue eyes..." He trailed off. "What are you suggesting?" I asked, horrified. "I'm not." He held up his hands innocently, a sorry look on his face and lowered his voice as he noticed Dom standing in the doorway. "Maybe we should come back to this." He said, picking himself up and walking to the end of the bed. "I'm going to shoot off for an hour or two; will you be ok looking after Matt?" He directed his question at Dom, whose face was slightly blank; he nodded nevertheless.

I turned onto my side to relive my sweating body as Chris once again disappeared. By now, the heat wave had hit me again but I felt too ill to do anything about it; all of my muscles objected to movement and I was still feeling very close to vomiting. Instead, I reviewed our conversation in my head; _How could he even consider that the message in my notebook meant such a thing? Why would I want to hurt Dom anyway? Why would I hurt myself? _Nothing had been answered so far and I already knew that this was between Dom and I; Chris hadn't even seen the ghost-like figure when he had come to visit and it had stood right before his eyes; Maybe my negativity towards the situation wasn't helping, but I had reason to feel that way.

I was snapped back to reality as I felt the mattress behind me dip slightly; it was Dom. He secured his arm around me; brushing against my bruised stomach and making me flinch as the muscles fought back at the pain; He drew back immediately. "Sorry." He whispered. I didn't speak but reached out behind me for his hand, pulling it towards me again and wrapping his arm gently around my chest; as awkward as it was, I felt safer with him holding me.

As we laid there together, his palm edged under my T-shirt and ran over my stomach; he knew I was hurting. "You're boiling." He hissed. "Matt, get your top off... Have you got a fever?" I didn't want to ignore him, but I was too far away to react. His arm left my body as he acknowledged the silence. "Matt, you're still with me, aren't you? – Please don't go to sleep." I sighed as he threw off the duvet that I was wrapped under. His instincts were right, but even so he was hesitant and clearly paranoid about hurting me. I felt his hands on my body again, gabbing hold of the seam of the damp material I was wearing; He peeled it as far up my body as he could, pulling it over my head uncertainly. I was grateful to him as I felt a rush of cold air dancing on my torso; how much better I felt with the slightest change in temperature.

He settled back down, his hand returning to my hip and creeping toward my stomach. His hot breath on my neck made me shiver slightly and I froze as he used his fingers to pull down the waist band of my trousers; He stopped when it sat just below my hip, exposing even more of my battle wounds. I was tense as he moved again; I was still trying to add up what had happened earlier and I didn't feel quite ready for whatever he had planned. However, it felt wrong to dispute his actions; after all, I was quite happy to feel his soothing hands against my skin once more.

He took a deep breath as if to speak but instead let his fingers lightly tickle away at my bruises. "Dominic?" I tried to persuade it out of him. I'd know him for a long time and I knew when he was stalling; it was yet again one of those things that he had been dreading to tell me. "I didn't eat." He told me. "I stood and listened to your conversation..." He paused before he spoke again. "Matt, I'm sorry... That night, in London, I was looking for the old you... Do you remember what we had? And then we drifted apart... I miss that. I still remember that message; It goes through my head every single day and I think to myself, what if tomorrow I never see you again or what if something happens and our friendship will have just been deleted?... I couldn't live with myself." His words confused me even more; _Did he think it was his fault? Did that mean that I'd got it all wrong? _

"Dom, I thought that message was aimed at me!" He furrowed his eyebrows at my response. "Why just you? What were _you_ doing?" I squeezed my eyelids shut. He had just asked me the question that would spill the secret that I was keeping from him. I couldn't lie to him now. "Dominic... I was trying to reconnect with the past; find that teenager who was so wound up in his parents' divorce that he only had his best friend to look up to... Do you realise now why I thought it was aimed at me?" He shook his head and I continued. "Because I was the only one who could tell that you were anything but happy in a relationship with Rebecca. I wanted that best friend that hardly ever saw all week back... I was already loosing you." A look of relief, confusion and hope crossed his face all at once as I sat up to talk to him properly. I couldn't quite believe it myself; Perhaps I wasn't the only one to blame for all of this.

"How long?" I mused. "How long have I been seeing it?" He asked. "Yes." He swallowed hard before answering my question. "Ever since..." He breathed. "Dom, it's September! Why didn't you come to me? How did you keep it quiet for so long?" I panicked as it dawned on me that perhaps he hadn't felt that he could confide in me. "I didn't want to worry you." He insisted. I thrust my arms around him and knitted my fingers into the soft material of his cotton shirt. It's no wonder he had ended up so exhausted. "Dominic..." I began. "I want you to know that I'm here for you... Always. You never have to go through anything like that on your own again."

I pulled myself away from him now and looked him in the eyes. He was close to tears and I too, was holding back a lump in my throat. "If you're refusing to rest, I want you to eat something at least." I took hold of his hand and guided him off of the mattress; my head spun as I got to my feet and I had to steady myself against the wall. I rubbed my eyes and then felt Dominic's palm on my forehead, his natural instincts driving him to worry about my health. He wrapped my hand around his shoulder and took my weight as he locked his arm around my body. I stumbled against him as he helped me into the living room and settled me onto the coach.

"Are you hungry? – Do you think you can keep anything down?" He smiled at me in sympathy as I shook my head and he leaned in closer, breathing in the scent of my hair and placing a kiss on my cheek before turning his back on me. My eyes darted away from him and I flushed with embracement as I watched him pace over to the table and remove a now cold plate of omelette, warming it up in the microwave and returning minutes later with some cutlery.

I studied him whilst his attention was on anything but myself; In a way he looked almost entrancing, and his scruffy blonde hair and unshaven stubble made no difference. I couldn't quite work out what it was that I felt for him; _Was I happy with his company? - '_Happy' seemed a little weak; I loved it when he was around. - _Or was I more nervous about his weird behaviour? _He'd never kissed me before and all of a sudden it was twice in the space of an hour. It was almost as if...

I furrowed my eyebrows as the thought crossed my mind. _Why had I never considered it before? _What Dom had told me earlier must have surely been a give-away. It certainly made sense; Dom hadn't had a girlfriend in almost a year now and he had been so unhappy with the last one. _Was Dominic...gay? _ I admired him as I ran through it all again – just to make sure it was right. It almost suited him; He had the face of an angel and such a calm and caring personality. He was certainly a very attractive man indeed, although, I could also see where this was going; As much as the idea had grown on me in the past few minutes, Dominic and I couldn't have a relationship; The fan girls would hate us, the normal fans would go off of us and the music industry would screw their noses up at us; Muse would no longer be Muse; Our career would be in pieces.

I snapped out of my dreamy state as I heard the scratching of Chris' keys in the front door. _What was all of_ _that? Why was I even looking at Dom, let alone secretly admiring him? _It was wrong of me and I knew it. "Change of plan guys." Chris affirmed as he dumped a small suitcase into the hallway. "There's been some car accident on the way into the town; the traffic is a nightmare, so I went to Dom's place instead - I bought you a fresh load of clothes and your toothbrush, Dom... I can't stay tonight, I've got to organise some things, so I'm afraid you'll have to crash here with Matt." A broad grin stretched across Dom's face as he thanked Chris. "It's ok, I really don't mind." He added.

Chris was in his usual speedy panic, rushing around whilst talking, and today was no exception. He gathered up the plates that sat from breakfast and continued. "I got a call from Tom when I was out too. It's not good news to be honest; we've got an interview with this Italian magazine that want information on the new album." He sighed before he finished, looking uncertainly in my direction. "It's tomorrow and too close to cancel."

There was a silence as each of us thought through the situation, and then my eyes turned to Dom, who didn't seem to think that it was as bad as Chris was making it out to be. "Well, that's Ok; we'll just have to leave Matt here." He shrugged. I interrupted the two of them with optimism before they could erase my company completely - I loved interviews! "I'll be fine for tomorrow." I reassured. "I'm sure I can style my hair to disguise this." I said, gesturing to my injury, which I had only just noticed was neatly dressed. Dom raised his eyebrows at Chris who was now looking even less certain. "Ok." His expression showed that he wasn't keen on the idea but he nodded his head in agreement anyway and then slipped his feet back into his shoes. "Got to rush." He said, aiming his goodbye in Dom's direction. "Ring me if you have any concerns." And with that, he disappeared.


	7. Your Number Has Been Called

_Dear readers, _

_Once again, I must apologise for the late updates; I am aware that this particular entry is rather overdue. I do now have a blog which means that you can keep up with me in between updating, so feel free to check out my musings; the link to my blog can be found under my user profile._

_Before I leave you to enjoy the next chapter, I want to say a special thank you to one of my readers 'Muse-icfan756' for all of the support; for she is truly inspiring and spurs me on to write the 'Hoodoo' series. Also, a thank you goes to all of my readers and comments and feedback is much appreciated so please tell me what you think and even where I could improve. Thanks, you guys rock!_

**Chapter 7**

**Your Number Has Been Called**

The next morning I awoke to the sound of Dom's voice. He stood over me fully dressed, his hair combed and his face freshly shaven. "I've brought you breakfast." He smiled, handing me a steaming French baguette on a warm plate. "Buttered, just how you like it."

He sat with me whilst I ate, perched on the edge of the mattress with a lost look in his eyes as he stared out of the window. "You know... You don't have to come with us today if you don't feel up to it, Matthew..." He suggested, still fixated on something in the distance. "I want to..." I insisted. He turned to look at me now, a mixed expression painted on his face as he noticed the raw bruises on my bare stomach. "They look nasty... Do they still hurt?" I nodded as he leaned in to run a hand over them. He was gentle as always but obviously still worried about causing me further discomfort. "You look awful..." His eyes met mine briefly as he spoke. He was probably right, but he didn't look that much better himself; it had been a long night and Dom had stayed up with me right through to half one in the morning until my condition had picked up and he felt it safe for me to sleep. He had been so dependable but was suffering because of it; his eyes were expressive hits, which today, bore even darker circles. "As long as you feel okay." He uttered, as I stuffed the last of the bread into my mouth. "We've only got an hour until Chris picks us up so you'd better get out of bed." He finished, retrieving my empty plate and placing it on the side.

He bit his lip as I stumbled to my feet and quickly came to my aid at the first sign of a wobble. He locked his arm around me in the same manner that he had done yesterday but clasped my hand in his this time. His soft palms were a comforting diversion from the pain in my stomach, although I wasn't quite sure if I was comfortable with his new found closeness. I had given a lot of thought to what had happened between us yesterday whilst I had willed myself to try sleeping the night before and had decided that it would be wrong of me to embrace a relationship; I had to tell him before it got too far and I would do it today; I just had to work out how to drop the bombshell without losing my best friend in the process.

He helped me into the bathroom where I opened the mirrored cupboards and reached for a small, blue tub of hair gel, but he stopped me as I unscrewed the lid, placing a hand on mine to halt my actions. He grinned at me in amusement as I glared back at him, confused. "I think they're going to notice if you don't take that off first." His smile weakened as I flushed, my cheeks tinting red. "Let me..." He whispered, gently peeling the dressing away from my wound. "Um... Can I?" He became shy as he gestured at the now open tub of gel in my hand. I smiled at him and he took it from me, grateful that I hadn't said 'no'.

I watched him nervously from the mirror, my eyes darting away occasionally when he looked up from the sticky spikes forming in my dark, mousey brown hair. "Are you sure you're okay?" He frowned from behind me, his hands becoming even gentler, settling to fiddle with the loose strands around my ears. I nodded my head, my eyes still following him as he pursed his lips and continued, going about disguising the cut on my head under the thick locks of my fringe, his solemn concentration encouraging a discrete smile at the corner of my mouth.

"Okay, done." He stepped back to admire his handy work and I turned around to face him properly, a full smile now plastered on my face. "You're quite the artist." I remarked. He scoffed at my sudden change in attitude and then guided me back through the hall. "I chose you some clothes earlier; thought it'd save you some time... I, er, put them on the chair next to your bed." He was quick to finish his sentence before leaving me to change; I hadn't even got the chance to say 'thank you'. Nevertheless, I closed the bedroom door and slipped into a crisp, white shirt, buttoning it all the way up to the collar before shrugging on Dom's smart grey jacket and a pair of white skinnies; He had always had a good taste in fashion and had always known how much I adored this jacket; I had borrowed it from him before and it wasn't the only item that we'd ever shared.

I smoothed the sleeves and adjusted it so that it sat flush on my shoulders before pulling on a fresh pair of socks and exiting the room; Dom was waiting for me at the kitchen table and he smiled as I approached, pleased to see that I had no objection to his styling; Although, I did have one concern... "Do you think this needs a tie?" I asked, looking down at the bare white on my chest. He laughed and rose from the pine furniture. "It will if you leave it like that." I furrowed my eyebrows as he moved closer to correct my mistakes, unbuttoning the collar and flattening it around my neck and then bringing the material of his jacket to meet at the unnoticed loop in the centre. I tensed slightly as he brushed against my stomach and then jumped as the doorbell rang. Surprised at my reaction, Dom rested a hand on my arm. "Matt, lighten up..."

Even though Chris was early, Dom greeted him and gently pushed me in the direction of the GT500 parked on the gravel drive way. The paint work shone in the morning sun but the sparkles on the chrome alloys were short lived, ruined by the advancing clouds overhead. "Looks like it's finally time to get rid of this heat wave." Chris observed as I climbed into the back seat. I didn't say anything in reply but listened as a conversation sparked up between my two band mates and was soon in a little world of my own as the car pulled out onto the road.

I sat quietly during the journey, debating what I should say to Dom when the time came but struggled to settle on anything; the ideas that I had all sounded too upsetting or even hateful, and I knew it would destroy him, but who was I kidding? I was going to hurt him anyhow and I still wasn't any closer to a solution by the time we arrived. I sighed, defeated, as I cast my eyes upon the looming building ahead of us, it wasn't anything special, however it seemed to be the last building standing in this area; The surrounding 'offices' and 'restaurants' were all now rubble, the only habitants being in the form or vegetation and insects...probably.

I snapped out of my lucid state as the heat hit me again; it was an unwelcome feeling after the air conditioning against my skin, but I was reassured as the first few drops of rain pattered lightly to the ground. Unable to enjoy it, I was hurried inside by Dominic who, supporting his black leather jacket, had just realised that he was the only one wearing anything water resistant.

"We're here for an interview with Rockstar Magazine" Chris explained to the woman at the reception desk. He then took a step back in offence when she didn't answer him but hurried into the little office behind, returning with a second person, dressed in a matching bright red uniform and black neck tie. "Terribly sorry Sir." The second woman apologised from behind her dark framed glasses. "My colleague here doesn't have much experience with the English Language." She chuckled before she continued. "You're expected on the last floor. Take the elevator; you won't get lost; it's the last door after the cafe'. Unfortunately Sir, we are running a little behind schedule so perhaps you'd like to indulge in some of our specials?"She handed Chris a voucher before disappearing behind the desk once more and he waited until the doors were firmly closed to express his disgust.

"So much for specials." He scowled, screwing up is nose. "Anyone fancy a boring Cafe' Nero?" He waved the voucher in the air, the advert obviously made to look more appealing than it really was. Dom and I shrugged as the elevator opened and Chris was the first one out, strolling into a sparkling cafe', just as the woman had suggested. It was much more modern than the reception area downstairs; the tops were shimmering steel and the chairs and tables were typical of Italian styling, all matching... but empty. Only one employee occupied a seat, obviously rushed off of his feet at the speed he was scribbling onto his notepad. "I'm the coffee boy then." Chris joked, starting in the direction of the dead atmosphere.

"And then, there were two." Dom mused, trying to break the silence between us. My heart skipped a beat as I realised what he had just said. I knew that the moment was right but I just didn't have the words. "I er, um... Just going to visit the men's." I stuttered nervously, hurrying in the opposite direction to avoid the situation. _Just for a minute _I told myself, forcing the door open, quick to lock myself in a cubicle. I rubbed my eyes and leaned against the veneered chipboard. _What was I going to say? How would he react? His head was a mess as it was._ I searched in desperation, only to find a moderate start at '_I'm sorry_'. Being a songwriter I should surely be good at words, but today I couldn't even draw inspiration from a single of those books and films that I'd seen in the past.

I took a deep breath and stood up, anxious that I had spent too long already. I had to postpone it; maybe later; In fact, any time that I had the words that wouldn't hurt him so unkindly. Unlocking the cubicle door, I swung it open, only to be stopped in my tracks at the sight of something unwelcomingly familiar; It stared at me with a hostile, icy expression, its eyes cages of rattling fury. The shadowy figure sent shivers down my spine; glued me to the spot. It made every part of me shake uncontrollably. Fear was an understatement of how I felt towards this beast.

My legs trembled beneath me as it shifted, moving closer, and I readied my stance; There was no way I was going to give it the chance to scar me any further. Panicked, I darted through the gap left between the wall and the creature, bursting out into the cafe' corridor. I couldn't see an end to this mess... But I had to end it... _I had to._ I didn't leave any time to explain to Chris and Dom before I spotted the fire exit stairs and picked up speed, charging to climb them two by two. Dom shouted after me but I ignored him, pretending I hadn't noticed.

The metal beneath me echoed with every footstep and I soon heard him behind me, rushed and quickly advancing. He had longer legs than I did, he could move faster, so I responded by using the banister to haul my body up faster. My heart was racing, my head dizzy and my breathing so fast that my chest felt heavy, but still, I moved forward until I reached the top, slamming the fire exit door to slow Dom down and stumbling out onto the roof of the building, the now pouring rain taking me by surprise.

Above, the clouds were black and nothing could be seen in the distance; everything was blurred by the surging raindrops. I squinted as they battered my face, my clothes quickly beginning to cling to my skinny frame and I tiptoed towards the edge of the concrete. Italy had never been the queen of health and safety and with no railing, this would be easy for me. I ignored Dom's footsteps, his shouts and pleas falling on almost deaf ears and I swallowed, closing my eyes.

All I had to do was jump.

_Jump._


	8. A Starlight In The Gloom

**Chapter 8**

**A Starlight In The Gloom**

For a minute, it felt like I was falling, but I certainly wasn't falling very far. I hit the ground landing on something soft, or rather _someone _and I opened my eyes, confused and dazed, squinting up at the hammering raindrops now falling directly into my face; Dom and I were still on the rooftop, but we were so close to the edge. He squirmed from beneath me, one of his hands a mess of unsightly grazes from where he'd pulled me backwards and come into contact with the concrete. He pinned his arms either side of me, sheltering my body from the torrential rain, still breathing hard from his pursuit.

"Matt, why did you do that!?" His voice was raised and his emotions unreadable. "You could have killed yourself!" I gritted my teeth, unsure if I could answer, but the silence was broken as he burst into floods of tears. My heart sank and I swallowed hard to hold back a lump in my own throat; I had really hurt him. I remained quiet as I watched the rain seep from his soaking hair and drip off of his nose. His tears stained his cheeks a tinted pink as he attempted to speak again. "Matthew." He whispered, calming from his worked up state. "I want you in my life." He managed through sobs. "I _need_ you in my life... Matthew? I – I think I'm in love with you..." His words left me with goose bumps; Inside, I knew I felt the same way, I had just been denying that I had feelings for him all along.

My heart sped up and I looped my arms around his neck, entwining my fingers in his wet hair and pulling him in closer, bringing our lips together. I closed my eyes for a minute, tasting the salt from his tears as he continued to sob lightly into my mouth, but within seconds he pulled himself together, freeing his only available hand to cup my face and catching my bottom lip between his teeth. My eyelids fluttered open with surprise, noticing a contented glint taking over from the glazed eyes that Dominic had had a few minutes before; I was sure that this was a moment that he had been waiting for for a very long time; however, it wasn't long before he pulled away, alarmed by the rate at which the rain was now falling; the water droplets had also turned into hail and a distant rumble could be heard overhead.

"C'mon." He hauled me up off of the ground and together we made a dash for the fire exit. The small blocks of ice stung as they collided with my vulnerable skin. Once in the lobby, we studied each other, aware that we were as good as drenched, but with a slight hope that we were still fit to last the interview; we exchanged a doubtful glance, Dominic rubbing his cheeks dry, and then headed back down the stairs to find Chris pacing in confusion up and down the corridor.

"What happened to you two?" He stared at our clothing in disbelief, unable to imagine what had drawn us outside in the first place. Dom was quick to reply, jumping in before I had the chance to mess things up for a second time today. "Matt didn't look too well." He began. "We stepped outside for a minute and it _had _to pour hard, didn't it?" He added a light laugh to make his story more convincing. "Wow, talk about bad luck mate; here, get yourselves home and get dry; don't worry about the interview."

Chris didn't seem to suspect a thing as he handed his keys and two coffees over to an astonished looking Dom; even I hadn't expected him to believe it. "Let me pay for your taxi." Dom muttered, digging into his pockets for his wallet. "No, don't worry about it mate, just go home." Chris rejected his offer and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder as if to send him on his way. "If you leave the keys under the door mat, I'll just collect the car later." He gave us both a warm smile and we left, heading for the elevator.

By now I was shivering, and as we watched the floor numbers count down to 1, the so called 'boring' black coffee that Dom offered me was much more appreciated than anyone could have imagined. When we reached the reception, he escorted me out of the building fast enough to ensure that the staff couldn't catch a glimpse of the state that we were both in, and on the way, he downed his coffee, discarding the empty polystyrene cup into a nearby bin. Outside the rain was still falling heavily, and Dom rushed me to the car, opening the door and encouraging me into the back. I was confused; having thought that I would be sitting in the passenger seat, and became even more so when he climbed into the back with me, closing the door behind us.

"Tinted windows." He explained, unbuttoning my jacket and shirt and peeling the sodden material away from my body. As he removed his own jacket, I swallowed hard, nerves beginning to knot in my stomach. _What was happening? _"You don't have to look so on edge." He reassured. My heart sped up but I breathed a sigh of relief as he wrapped his jacket around my shoulders, still warm from where it had been close to his skin; it was the only item that had remained moderately dry between us. "Hey..." He had an element of perception in his voice. "I know what you were thinking... I'm not like that." I blushed, embarrassed that he had sussed me; I couldn't help it though; I had honestly thought for a second that he was going to do something out of the ordinary with me in the back of Chris' GT500.

The drive home seemed much, much longer than the drive down. I had retaken my seat in the front on the passenger side, sipping a steaming coffee and watching the water droplets dibble down the windows. Occasionally, I would catch the lightning in the distance before the thundering crackle came from the sky, but mostly, I was too distracted watching Dom as he concentrated through the blinding rain to reach home. "Does your hand hurt?" I asked quietly. "It's not too bad... "He replied. "It's only a graze..." A silence fell for a minute as another bolt of lightning struck the Earth, followed by another eerie boom from the clouds. "Dom, It's full of grit and it has bled somewhat..." I argued, observing the worst of it. "It's fine, honestly; look, we're here now, I'll get it cleaned up." He swung into the gravel drive way and we made another run through the rain into the house.

As instructed, Dom left the car keys out of sight under the door mat and then led me inside where we removed our shoes and I followed him straight through the hallway and into the bathroom. He pulled my towels from the rail outside of the room before securing the plug in the bath and beginning to run the water, holding his hand under the clear liquid to get a perfect temperature. He then added some bubbles and turned to face me, pulling off his shirt and removing the jacket that I was currently wearing too.

"I'm sorry – I shouldn't have let you come today." He was clearly guilt tripped but he had no reason to feel that way; I was about to reply but chocked back my disagreement when he bundled me into his arms; I welcomed the heat rising off of his body and fell quiet for a minute before changing my approach, adapting a softer tone and giving it another go. "You don't have to try so hard; I still love you – and it isn't your fault; I insisted that I came." My voice was barely audible above the running water but he heard every word. "Dom?... I'm sorry I hurt you so much." I finished.

"Shh" He hushed me, contented with the fact that my pimpled skin was slowly smoothing again, but even so, refused to let me go as he reached out to stop the taps, one arm still glued to me as if his life depended on it. He drew me in again before placing a tender kiss on my forehead where my injury was peeping out from under my fringe, and then he turned away, closing the door behind him.

I stripped off what was left of my clothing and stepped into the tub, my skin stinging as my feet went through the temperature change. I gave myself a quick once over, soaping my body and shampooing my hair before slipping underneath the water, resting my head against the side and closing my eyes. I used the time to gather my thoughts – that was, until I drifted off – awoken a full hour later when I heard a thumping at the door; I re-surfaced to find that Dominic was close to barging in. "Matt?!" Although his voice was muffled from the other side, it didn't stop me noticing that he seemed worried. "Are you alright in there?" He called. "Yeah – I was just getting out." I shouted back.

I sat and listened as his footsteps faded, realising that the water around me had become chilly and that small bubbles had formed around my body where the hairs had trapped a layer of air to keep me insulated, but despite Dominic's efforts to warm me up, I was still cold; having spent so much time in the bath hadn't helped; my skin was yet again covered in goose bumps and the tips of my fingers were wrinkly.

I used the sides of the tub to haul myself out and grabbed a towel to rub my body moderately dry before wrapping it around my waist and pacing into the bedroom. Dominic followed me in from the lounge; he was wearing a grey T-Shirt and pair of loose trousers; his hair remained damp from where he'd taken a shower. "You still cold?" He asked furrowing his eyebrows at me as his eyes studied my skin. I managed a hum as he approached me and rested his hands on my hips from behind, his lips pressing softly to the nape of my neck, smothering me in kisses. He was gentle as he sucked the flesh with his tongue and I tilted my head forward to request for more, but was disappointed when he pulled away.

"Matthew." He began, his voice low in my ear. "I want you to get some rest before you come down with something." I sighed as he removed his hands from my body and pulled a T-Shirt that I wasn't even aware that he had slung over his shoulder, over my head. I wriggled to get my arms into the sleeves and gave him a bashful smile as he handed me a fresh pair of boxers and jogging bottoms. I slipped them both on under the towel that clung to my waist before whipping the damp material off and hanging it over the door to dry.

"Not so fast..." Dominic warned, a hint of seduction emerging in his otherwise mundane remark as I began to pull back the duvets on the bed. I frowned in confusion as he offered me a new towel. He hesitated before performing the task that he had hoped I had cottoned onto himself; bunching his firsts in the fleecy fabric and rubbing at my hair in an attempt to soak up the remaining droplets of water. I was touched at his thoughtfulness and stood in silence as I waited for him to finish, my eyes becoming heavier and heavier with each motion of his hands. He had me at a blissful peace when he stopped, and I was, to say the least, a little disappointed to feel that my hair was moderately dry again.

"Alright," He smiled. "Make yourself comfortable." He tugged back the duvet to help me into the sheets, before pulling it up around my shoulders and tucking me in on autopilot mode with the subtlest actions her could muster. His cheeks flushed as I smirked up at him, collapsing my head onto the pillow and becoming aware of my mental and physical exhaustion as I relaxed into the mattress.

Although it was against my will to refrain from closing my eyes, I didn't feel safe being left to sleep alone; I was determined to acquire what I could of the comfort that I had so casually slept with before the revealing of our darkest secrets.

"Still cold..."I whined as Dominic began to pace toward the door frame. My eyes followed him as he returned to the bedside, a deeply concerned look colouring his grey pupils. "Do you want me to find another blanket?" He asked, leaning over me to pay attention to the goose bumps prickling on the exposed skin of my arm. I nodded dishonestly, shooting him a weary smile as he turned away again.

"Dom, wait..." I curled my fingers around his arm and he halted abruptly. "You know that's not what I want..." I bit my lip as his eyes met mine, well aware of what I meant but a guarded and unsure expression flickering across his face. "Please?" I whispered almost under my breath. He swallowed, his nervousness clearly visible at my request, but nodded and crawled under the sheets to join me, looping his arms around my waist to bring me in closer. I shifted to bury my face in the crook of his neck, letting out a settled sigh once I had found my previously lacking comfort in the form of his warmth and reassurance; His embrace made me feel protected. Secure. Sheltered... Relaxed. He spoke up just I began to drift off, his words only just registering in my sleepy haze;

"A few hours ago, I honestly thought you'd never ask..."


	9. I Don't Belong Here

**Chapter 9**

**I Don't Belong Here**

_A rush of blood to my head woke me from my unconscious state. As my eyes fluttered open, I struggled to work out what was happening around me. Whilst I was unaccustomed to my surroundings, they also felt strangely familiar. Meanwhile, one thing was certain; I was hung upside down and was very much alone, the only thing in my line of vision was the floor, covered in a thin sheet of plastic, and some small metal cabinets nearby. Judging by the theme of the place I was in a secluded warehouse, however, it wasn't secluded enough to guarantee me further peace;_

_It was the voices I heard first. Deep, gruff voices of rough and vulgar brutes and the sound of metal afterward; Metal bars, most probably, clanging as they were removed from their former positions... then the footsteps, hard and heavy on the ground. They were upon me within seconds and I could only frown as four burley men entered my hold, dressed in black attire with facial masks to top it off. It was only when they moved in closer that I noticed the menacing crowbars each was sporting. It was not at all a reassuring sight and nor were the thin latex gloves that these men were all wearing. _

_Seen as I had the advantage of no restraining gag, my mouth popped open to ask the inevitable, but they didn't hesitate to give me the chance to speak before I felt the steel bars strike in multiple different areas of my body. I whimpered and cried as they hit me, calling out for the only person I had had hope in, but my screams were soon overpowered by the pitiless shouts of the angered strangers. 'Scream all you want - no one's coming for you.' The tallest bellowed as I wailed for Dominic one last time. _

"Matthew!" A shove from Dominic and I awoke, shaken and upset. I surged forward seeking his comfort, seconds away from bursting into floods of tears. He bundled my thin body against his chest, rushing to soothe me, and I gave in, hot streams leaking from my eyes and my bottom lip trembling.

"Shh, it's okay," He whispered over my sobs, his hand rubbing back and forth in between my shoulder blades as my frame shook and trembled beneath his fingers. I could only clench at his T-Shirt in response as my tears continued to dampen the material against his torso. "Matthew, I'm here, you're safe." His hand slipped down to cradle me around my hips, and he bunched the other in my hair. "Shh, you're okay, it's just me and you; no one's going to hurt you." I listened with my head against his heart whilst he offered me a safe zone from my troubles. From this angle his voice sounded stronger, more powerful and more confident; it was most consoling to say the least.

Still all I could do was make small gestures to provide him with some sort of reply, so I nudged myself further against him and he repositioned his arm around my shoulder to pull me even closer. The steady rise and fall of his chest offered me a calm place to take refuge and his voice in my ear soothed away was what was left of my distress, my snivels soon becoming lighter and the streams of salty fluid beginning to dry on my cheeks. I relaxed into his embrace, falling limp and heavy against him, still panting from the strangling whimpers of my breakdown.

He continued to breathe words of strength and reassurance against my skin, squeezing me in his arms every so often until I became silent. He didn't move away, but was happy to remain with me there. I closed my eyes for a minute, not intending to fall into a haze of light sleep - it was only when he shifted that I was jerked out of drifting off and realized that he was doing all of the work to support me. I unwillingly removed myself from his arms, still supported as he steadied me with his hands on my shoulders. His next words were still whispered and compassionate.

"Hey... you okay? You want to talk about it?" I shook my head as I bought my eyes to meet his in the dim light of the room.

"Can we just stay up a while?" My voice was small, almost weak, and despite the fact that I had nothing to worry over whilst Dominic was at my side, I still had to get away from something. Perhaps it was even the room itself. I didn't know how late it was or how long we had slept for, but I was still so tired; unfortunately for me, not even that would encourage me to settle back down right now.

"Of course," He bought a hand to brush past my cheek and run his fingers though my mussed hair, tucking it behind my ear. "Let me put the kettle on." I grabbed his hand as he moved, my jaw clenched and my eyes desperate; now of all times would be the worst to leave me alone in the dark, even if he was just going into the next room. "Oh Matt..." He laced our fingers together and placed a delicate kiss to my knuckles. "Come with me." He offered me a tight smile and I bit my lip before answering with a shaky 'okay'.

I felt like a child as we walked through the darkness out of the bedroom and into the hall; It was only when Dominic flicked the lights on that I felt safe enough to put some distance between us and let his hand free. Worse, I felt like a child; the young Matthew who was always scared of the dark. I hadn't been since I was eleven and wasn't going to resume my childish fears now.

I could feel Dom's sidelong stare whilst I punished myself, and after a minute, he brought his arm to rest on my shoulders. My eyes darted to floor and I shrugged him off; Sympathy was not what I wanted him to feel for me. I hadn't expected him to halt dead in the hall and began regretting my decision immediately, quickly attempting to justify my reason before he had a chance to ask.

"Sorry... I'm just... I'm pathetic..."

"Matthew..." He spoke softly and directed me to look at him, a finger under my chin. "You are _nothing_ of the sort. You're beautiful, you're charming, enlightening - gifted; you're _everything_ to me. You're just in a bad way, that's all."

I sighed. _'You're in a bad way_' – There it was... the hidden 'you' that put me at the centre of attention.

"Dom, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I've turned this around to be all about myself - I always do and it's not, it's really not - I'm a horrible person; I'm never there for you like you are for me. I'm not supportive enough. I should be stronger. I should be-"

"Matt, STOP! STOP!" His tone was insistent. So insistent. "We're going through this together. It's about _us_. Please don't think that way – you've done nothing wrong. We're helping each other though this, okay?"

"Dom, you're the one who ended up in some sort of three day stress coma!" By now I was flailing my arms around in all directions; we were no longer reasoning, we were arguing. I couldn't have planned my words to sound any less negative, so I carried on to avoid his next comeback, rushed and almost shouting. "I've been so stupid – If I'd just have listened to Chris and took you to the hospital, and then none of this would have happened. I've been so naive trying to take everything into my own hands!"

"Says the one who suffered an attack, a head injury _and_ tried to throw himself of off a building! Matt, you're talking of the past like you could have avoided everything! "

"But I could have! If we'd have been at the hospital when you woke up from-" I paused momentarily as I tried to find a word to take the consideration off of the fact that he had really been in quite a dangerous situation, but gave up to skip it altogether, eager to keep my opportunity open. "-Well it might not have happened and then I wouldn't be walking around like I'd just got off of a _fucking boat! _You wouldn't even have been discharged in time for the interview and this wouldn't be happening right now because I wouldn't have seen that-" I cut myself off before I finished, darting my eyes at him and remembering that I hadn't actually told Dom what had caused my sudden outburst of alarming behaviour at the interview.

He butted in before I had a chance to elaborate, sarcasm colouring his tone. "I figured." He crossed his arms and turned to begin pacing, a sense of apathy appearing in his closed posture, so I jumped in with a retort that shocked even myself.

"You shouldn't have run after me!"

He spun to face me again. _Was that_ _bewilderment? Or something worse?_ "WHAT!? I confessed my _deepest_ secret to you on that rooftop! Are you saying that you wish I hadn't!?" His hands dropped to his sides for a minute, completely jaded with the dead ended tunnel of an argument that I had dragged him into.

I was taken aback; I really hadn't been expecting that. I slouched my shoulders and the hall went silent as he awaited my answer. It was when his face fell that I was quick to reassure him, this time approaching the situation with a calm and quiet attitude. "No. Just... I, no. No. I'm a pathetic excuse for a... whatever you want to call it - I'm a terrible friend." I shrugged.

He still looked hurt but I had nothing left to say - nothing left to tell him that would reverse this whole disagreement. _Would this be it?_ I was half expecting him to mutter that he didn't believe me and as his reply lingered for longer and longer on his tongue without making an appearance, I really started to panic. Then, out of nowhere, his expression changed. _Was that concern? Sympathy? Was he taking pity on me?_

"You mentioned you were still feeling dizzy." He stopped to correct himself. "Unbalanced - One of the two. Does your head still hurt?"

"What? No." I shot back a rather snappy reply.

"And you're not seeing things in double?"

I shook my head at him. I could only imagine the picture of confound confusion on my face right now. "_No_."

He nodded and then I watched as he simply walked away_. Was that all? He had nothing left to say to me? Nothing left to justify with me? Nothing... At all?_ I blinked and shifted on the balls of my feet to give me more view of where he was headed. I had to swallow hard as he turned the corner, tears welling in my eyes for the second time that night. I stood there for a little while longer before deciding to follow into the kitchen. _What would I say to him? What would he say to me? If anything at all?_

I couldn't allege that I was expecting much, and much I certainly didn't get. I stalled in the doorway, hoping that he had noticed me behind him. I knew he had of course, but it took him some time to respond. He didn't even turn to face me or bother to crane his neck to speak in my direction. His back was the only view I had when he ordered me to 'Go and sit down.'

As I had decided to sit in the only single chair in the room, Dom took his place on the coach opposite when he entered minutes later. He set down a steaming mug of Hot Chocolate on the coffee table, making a point of positioning it on a coaster so as not damage the furniture. I felt his gaze on me as I eyed it, the hand painted Italian letters spelling out something that I didn't understand.

"Come here." He insisted. He didn't seem irritable, nor did he seem angered, just rather lacking any kind of empathises in his fuzzed and unfamiliar emotion. Nevertheless, I rose from the fabricated seat and joined him on the dark brown leather furnishing, settling at the far end first.

"_Here_." He repeated, encouraging me to shift in closer. I moved onto the middle seat, a rigid posture evoking stiffening shoulders - I was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Matt... Come on, don't be stubborn." I sighed and allowed him to bring his arm up around my shoulders to guide me until my head lay against his shoulder. I relaxed and he brushed the tips of my fingers with his before he took hold of my hand. He exhaled a breath. "What were we arguing about?" My heart skipped a beat at the tender undertone of his voice; forgiveness was the only word for it.

I muttered my reply under my breath. "I don't know."

He moved to whisper into my ear, my hand still tight in his. "_...Boyfriend. _You don't need to be anything else. You're a great boyfriend... If you're comfortable with that?"

Hearing those words ignited something inside of me; a feeling I had spent a long time in the absence of. A feeling I had not the words to describe. If the smile on my face didn't already say it all, I didn't know what else there was to left discuss, but he seemed to have more.

"You want to talk now Matt? About your dream?" I opted to stare at the colourful throw rug on the floor; I hadn't wanted to explain earlier and I felt no different now, but I understood that this time he wanted an answer. I paused before beginning - it wasn't the easiest thing to tell Dom of all people; he'd dig into the past and I knew it.

"I was hung upside down... I was..." I hadn't needed to go any further as Dom rushed to cut me off.

"I know." He assumed. I nodded. He remembered - who wouldn't? "Absolution right?" He began. "2003... You became so stressed that you had that dream nearly every night... Matthew, it would take me to be a fool not to notice that you're stressed. I see it in the way that you do things, in the way you speak, the way you think; you've changed."

"I know." My answer was nothing but a repetition of his last. I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that I had changed, but deep down, I knew that I had. He sighed and pressed a kiss on the top of my ear.

"Matthew, I wasn't going to tell you this but under the circumstances I don't think it would be fair if I didn't... I'm going back to England tomorrow... and it sounds ridiculous I know, but you can't come with me. You can't for at least two weeks."

I panicked and launched into whatever words I could find to reason with him. "What? I can't be here without you Dom – you can't leave me behind!" If I had a shot at changing his mind, it needed to be now. I had relied on Dominic being around since my life had been turned dramatically upside down and I was not able to believe that I'd cope without him. "And _why?_ Why can't I come with you?"

He bit his lip and an apologetic look settled in his grey eyes. "Like I said, it's ridiculous – I can't even tell you that. The long and short of it is that I'm trying to figure this all out and I've been advised to do what I'm going to do and I have no choice in the matter. You just have to trust me."

"But it's _two weeks_ Dom! It's too long –"

"You'll have Tom... I've asked if he'd be able to pop round if you needed him and he said he'd be happy to."

"But what about the album? – The album that's needs completing, remember? The album that was already meant to be released a week ago!" The Resistance had not been something I had given much thought to as it happened, but the black and white of it was that we had put back the release date due to whatever you'd wish to call the catastrophes currently engulfing myself and Dominic, and we needed to get together and release it before the start of October or our fans would be distraught.

He scoffed at my obvious excuse to have him stay. "Chris has taken care of it. He said he finished the mixing with the tech guys in the studio yesterday and that the album is pretty much finished. He's just leaving it to management to release it so we don't have to worry about it any longer. It's done."

"And where's he now?"

I watched as his face screwed up, a painful expression aiding his words. "London... I know it makes a difference, I understand that it does, but Matt, there's nothing I can do. You have Tom - at least you're not completely on your own." I nodded my head. Nothing that I could say or do would change what was going to happen. At least, I thought, I could call him.

"Just please, keep in touch. I want you ring no matter how late or early it'll be here."

He groaned as I said this and he had me under the impression that perhaps he hadn't fallen for me like he'd said. My expression must have given away my thoughts and he cupped my face in his hands as he explained.

"Contact... Matt... it's forbidden. I can't-"

"By who!?" I had to cut him off. I wanted to know what he'd gotten himself into; such a thing sounded even more ridiculous than the idea that I wasn't able to accompany him to England; it was my home country after all. It was where I belonged.

"Someone who'll be helping me, okay? She said that we can't have any contact. Not on the phone, not at all. Look, I can't tell you anymore- I'm not allowed."

"So I can't call you and check that you've landed safely? – nothing?"

He shook his head silently at me and reached for the mug on the coffee table. "We have tonight. Let's enjoy what's left of it... Once you've finished, I'll come and lay with you until you fall asleep." He handed it to me and I took it gratefully.

"You don't have sleep out here y'know? I want you in _my_ bed, Dominic. Please stay with me tonight?"

"Of course, my beautiful."


End file.
